The Starwalker is an experimental vessel equipped with a star-stepping drive. She's brand new, the paint is still wet, and she's working out the kinks in her new skin. She has a lot to learn, and what the hell is this engine of hers anyway?

After her battle with Is-Tech, the Starwalker Stepped to a remote sector, where Sarabande Station watches over a black hole. The ship docks for much-needed repairs and makes two important discoveries: she did not come through the Step alone, and the space station’s personnel are missing. Can her crew fix up their ship and figure out where all the people went in time?

Hounded by a cadre of personal ghosts, the crew are struggling to make sense of what’s going on on the station. Then they receive a distress signal from the Celestial Strider, caught in the black hole’s gravity tides. Should they attempt to rescue Starry’s sister ship, or leave her to her fate?

The more time the Starwalker spends near the black hole, the more they realise that it is responsible for the strangeness around them. They have met the consciousness of a star before, but what happens when a star moves into the next phase of its life cycle? Why is Cerces plaguing them with ghosts? They can try to ask, but there’s no guarantee they’ll be heard or that they’ll understand the answer.

After a failed attempt to leave the system, communicating with Cerces becomes even more important. But the response they get includes a strange request, and the Starwalker and her crew aren’t sure it’s one they’re willing to pay.